Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting — These from-scratch yellow cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting taste just like the kind you grew up eating at childhood birthday parties!
Classic Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
At the beginning of the year, I made it a goal to post some classic recipes on my site. Goal fulfilled.
In this very Pinteresty world, there’s always another Nutella-swirled, brown buttered, bacon crumbled, bourbon-infused recipe for everything from cookies to cakes. But sometimes you don’t want potato chips in your cookies or pretzels in your salted caramel.
Sometimes you just want a classic yellow cupcake with chocolate frosting like you remember eating at birthday parties as a kid. These are those cupcakes.
Sure, you could use cake mix. Duncan Hines makes an almost unbeatable yellow (I ate plenty when I toured their test kitchen last month), but I just had to make these from scratch. And they really don’t take any more time to make than using a mix.
I used melted butter and so there’s nothing to cream, making it a fast, whisk-together cake batter, just like making muffins or quick bread. A bowl of wet ingredients, fold in the dry, pour into liners, and bake. I used melted butter not only for ease, but for color, and most importantly for flavor.
Often I prefer oil in cakes, muffins, and quick breads because it keeps them so soft, but only in recipes where there are other dominating flavors, like chocolate or pumpkin, which will mask the butter flavor anyway. But with yellow cupcakes, that buttery flavor is instrumental.
In addition to the butter, the other ‘fat source’ is 6-ounces of nonfat honey Greek yogurt. If you can’t find honey flavor, use vanilla.
I tinkered around with various combinations of 1 egg, 2 eggs, 1 egg plus 1 yolk, and a popular Cook’s Illustrated The New Best Recipe (a cooking Bible, best $22 bucks you’ll ever spend on a cookbook) calls for 1 egg plus 2 yolks.
Although I try hard not to use partial eggs in recipes because it’s just annoying, I found that 1 egg plus 1 yolk gives the right amount of moisture and thickness to the batter. Yolks add moisture, whites dry things out, and having extra moisture insurance in cupcakes is nice since they’re prone to being dry. The extra yolk also helps add a more golden hue.
To top the yellow cupcakes, I made a simple chocolate buttercream frosting. One stick of butter, cocoa powder, confectioner’s sugar, dash of vanilla. That’s it. If you want to add a splash of cream or milk to thin it, feel free but I didn’t.
It’s dense, uber-thick and fudgy. It’s not too ‘dark’ of a chocolate flavor. We didn’t have 72% chocolate on birthday party cupcakes when I was growing up, and this frosting tastes like my childhood.
Piping bags and I don’t generally get along, but I tried my best with a Wilton 1M tip and disposable piping bag.
I garnished with Wilton Chocolate Jimmies. The sprinkles taste more like real chocolate, and not like corn syrup made to taste like chocolate, compared to any other brand of chocolate sprinkles I’ve tried.
These from-scratch yellow cupcakes are soft, moist, springy, light, and are what I’d want to see on a big spread at a birthday party, graduation party, or shower. Or on any old Wednesday afternoon.
The chocolate buttercream frosting for the cupcakes is rich, creamy, and has a perfect chocolate intensity. Not too bold and dark, or too light and wimpy, and not cloyingly sweet.
It’s piled on sky high. The only way to enjoy a cupcake.
What’s in Yellow Cupcakes & Chocolate Buttercream Frosting?
To make the homemade yellow cupcakes, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Greek yogurt
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
And to make the chocolate frosting for the cupcakes, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Cream or milk
- Chocolate sprinkles
How to Make Yellow Cupcakes
To make the classic yellow cupcakes, melt the butter then stir in the egg plus yolk, sugar, yogurt, and vanilla. Next, stir in the dry ingredients.
Place about 2 tablespoons of batter per cupcake into your muffin cups so they’re solidly 3/4 full. Bake until the tops are golden, set, slightly domed, and springy to the touch. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
You need to let the yellow cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
How to Make Chocolate Frosting for Cupcakes
This chocolate buttercream cupcake frosting recipe is so simple! To make the best cupcake frosting, add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy (it’ll take about 5 minutes).
Add the cocoa powder, sugar, and vanilla to the butter and beat for another 5 minutes.
Once the yellow cupcakes have cooled, pipe the chocolate buttercream frosting on top and garnish with sprinkles, if desired.
Can I Freeze Yellow Cupcakes?
Yes, the yellow cupcakes should be baked and then allowed to cool completely before being stored in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. When you’re ready to enjoy the frozen cupcakes, place them on your counter to thaw. Note that you should freeze the cupcakes before they’re iced.
Can I Freeze Frosting?
Yes, the homemade chocolate buttercream frosting for the cupcakes can be prepared and frozen separately from the cupcakes. When you’re ready to eat the frozen cupcake frosting, place it in the fridge to thaw.
Can I Make This Recipe as a Regular Cake?
Possibly, but I haven’t tried it before so I can’t say for sure. If you’re looking for a classic yellow cake recipe, I recommend making my Easy Yellow Cake and topping it with the chocolate buttercream icing I used for these yellow cupcakes.
Can I Make This Recipe as Mini Cupcakes?
I bet you could, although you’d need to drastically reduce the cook time. If you make mini yellow cupcakes with this recipe, please leave me a comment below letting me know how they turned out!
Tips for Making the Best Yellow Cupcakes
If you don’t have yogurt on hand, plain Greek yogurt or sour cream will work as well, but you’ll miss out on a bit of sweetness and sour cream adds tons more fat. I’m very pleased that I got the cupcakes to stay soft and moist without piling in mindless fat grams.
Also, be sure to sift the cocoa powder into the butter mixture when making the chocolate buttercream frosting. Sifting the cocoa powder will ensure that no lumps form while the frosting is being whipped up.
Lastly, don’t overbake these yellow cupcakes. In my oven, just over 18 minutes is ideal, and by 20 minutes, while they don’t appear to be too dark, they taste dry. You’ll have to find your own oven’s sweet spot.
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Classic Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
Yellow Cupcakes
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 ounces about 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I used nonfat honey Greek yogurt; vanilla or plain Greek yogurt, or sour cream may be substituted)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, softenend
- ½ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder, sifted (I used Trader Joe’s)
- 2 ½ to 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted is ideal
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- splash cream or milk, only as needed for consistency
- chocolate sprinkles, optional for garnishing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a Non-Stick 12-Cup Regular Muffin Pan with paper liners; set aside.
For the Cucpakes:
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Allow the butter to cool momentarily (so you don’t scramble the eggs), and add the egg plus yolk, sugar, yogurt, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Stir in the flour, baking powder, optional salt, and mix until just combined and free from large lumps; don’t overmix or cupcakes will be tough.
- Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, place about 2 tablespoons of batter per cupcake into each of the 12 cavities so they’re solidly 3/4 full. There will likely be enough batter for a 13th cupcake, and either lick the bowl or discard it; or I placed a large paper liner inside a mini loaf pan, and fit the mini pan on the rack next to the main muffin pan.
- Bake for 18 to 19 minutes, or until tops are golden, set, slightly domed, and springy to the touch. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
- Allow cupcakes to cool in pan for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. While they cool, make the frosting.
For the Frosting:
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and beat on medium-high speed until pale, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (or use a hand mixer and beat for at least 7 minutes). Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add the cocoa (sift it, or you will have a hard time getting the lumps out of the frosting), 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Based on texture and taste preferences, optionally add 1/2 cup additional sugar (for 3 cups total), which I find necessary to achieve a thick consistency with my ingredients. If your frosting seems thick enough, refrain from the additional sugar and/or add a splash of cream to thin it.
- Transfer frosting to a piping bag and frost the cooled cupcakes. I used a Wilton 1M tip . Or simply spread frosting on with a knife.
- Optionally, garnish each cupcake with a pinch of sprinkles (do it over the sink because they fly around when they hit the frosting).
Notes
- Cupcakes will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days. I personally am comfortable storing buttercream-frosted items at room temp, but if you prefer to store in the fridge, that’s fine, but note the fridge will dry them out more quickly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I love your cake and cupcake recipes. Just a quick question though… Why not list the recipes with weights as well as measures? I switched over to using my kitchen scale and I will NEVER go back to measuring. Save people like me the time from doing the conversion ourselves. Thanks for sharing 😁
I am glad you love my cake and cupcake recipes!
The honest answer is that I cook with cups and teaspoons and don’t weigh things so I don’t know what the weight was if it was say 1 cup of light brown sugar. But my hat is off to people who write out both the cups/gram measurements but I am not that person….not yet anyway.
Update: Cupcakes completed and omg they are the best I’ve ever had. Perfectly moist and yellowy. They actually taste amazing without even needing frosting (and I don’t say things like that…)
So glad to hear they are the best you have ever had! That is a strong statement, love hearing the praise!
Averie, how do you know whether to not overmix (resulting in toughness) like in this recipe or to mix for a long time (to make light and fluffy like other cake recipes)? Your knowledgeable answers are truly appreciated! 🙂
These were very good. I liked using melted butter. I liked not having to use cake flour. I liked that this recipe uses less sugar in both the cake and the frosting than others I’ve seen. Also fewer eggs. You don’t even have to use your mixer, just stir cake batter by hand, who ever heard of that (thank you, Averie!). For the frosting I didn’t sift or beat as long as suggested (didn’t have time) and it was still super delicious. My Hamilton Beach hand mixer has silicone coated beaters, which is fantastic for not beating up my new mixing bowls. But beyond that, it’s super powerful and my frosting wound up lumpless (is that a word?) and fluffy in no time. Amazing, considering the organic powdered sugar I use is notoriously lumpy. YUM!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
I made these cupcakes with 1/2 cup oil and 6 oz coconut greek yogurt because my mom and nephew can’t have any dairy. They turned out *perfectly*. Best cupcakes I’ve ever made. Right up there with Cupcake Royal in Seattle and Pushkins in Sacramento, my fav cupcake makers. Thank you Averie :)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you, even better than bakery cupcakes!
Hi! I wanted to halve this recipe, but I do not know how would you halve the 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk? Thank you!
I don’t know either. I think it’s one of those recipes you really can’t halve or if you do, it’s tricky because of the egg situation. You could possibly halve and just use 1 egg total but that extra yolk provides nice color and adds to the texture….
Thank you!! I will probably keep the extras to myself ?
I really do appreciate how you reply so quickly! ?
I made these and they taste AMAZING but my darn pregnancy brain put in 1/4 c of Greek yogurt instead of 1/2 so they were a little small and dense :'( oh well, can’t win them all.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Glad that the little preggo brain slip up wasn’t too major :)
How many mini cupcakes will this recipe make? Also, how long would you cook these as mini cupcakes? Thanks
I haven’t made them as mini so cannot say for sure.
In case anyone else is wondering I got 4 dozen mini cupcakes from this recipe. I cooked them for 10 mins at 350 degrees. Also, I used whole wheat pastry flour and I used an extra t. of vanilla because I used plain greek yogurt. I made the chocolate frosting to go with these but I needed at least 1/4 C (if not more) heavy cream to get the frosting spreadable. Very yummy!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you as mini cupcakes and with w.w. pastry flour!
Thank you
I doubled the recipe and divided it between two 9 inch pans and the batter was really really thick like it needed more liquid. I used sour cream instead of yogurt. The taste was great though, I am just trying to figure out what I did wrong. Did the batter turn out that way because I doubled the recipe or was it because I used sour cream.
Some recipes just don’t double well. I don’t know if that’s the case here b/c I haven’t tried doubling it. I sense not, though.
I think given you said the batter was really thick and seemed like it needed more liquid that it was indeed the sour cream which can be thicker than Greek yogurt (depends on brand) but if you remake, I’d use a touch less sour cream just so that batter doesn’t get as thick and/or add a bit more buttermilk or oil. Just something to thin it out a hair. Or even less flour. Many ways to approach the problem but I haven’t tested any so can’t speak for sure but you can tinker. Have fun and happy cupcake eating :)
These cupcakes look delicious. I plan on using this recipe for my birthday cake. I was wondering if I could double the layers and use two 9 inch pans?
Possibly but please read over the Baking and Recipe FAQs https://https://www.averiecooks.com/faq/ for answers to the most common questions.
these look great!
What can I use if I don’t have Greek yogurt or sour cream?
Not sure since I’ve never tried.
You said in the recipe that the cupcakes would dry out faster in the fridge – but if I were to frost the cupcakes the afternoon before, and then store it in the refrigerator, would it dry out? How could I prevent drying out from happening? Freezing isn’t an option, no space. Thanks, and love your blog!
I personally would keep the unfrosted cupcakes at room temp in a covered container and then just adjust my schedule to frost them the day-of, doing whatever I needed to do to make that happen.
I just really advise against refrigerating these…the frosting will dry out, the cupcakes will dry out, not good. Cupcakes aren’t the easiest make-ahead recipe, I won’t lie! I have tons and tons of recipes where refrigerating for a day or a week won’t matter but with these it will. Just being honest.
This was a hit! I made it as an 8×8 cake and baked about 22-23 minutes. It was perfect, but I did have “too much” icing. That’s not a REAL problem, is it? :-) And I put some sprinkles on (chocolate ones) and was like “those aren’t fun enough” so then I put rainbow ones on. They made me smile.
Thanks for trying it, glad it was a hit, and you’re right, one can never have too much icing :) Probably though because with cupcakes, you generally pile it on thicker/taller/higher and also so much is lost to a pastry bag when decorating cupcakes vs. just spreading it on pan-style.
Could I use cake flour instead of all purpose? Also did you sift then measure the flour?
I haven’t ever tried this with cake flour. It’s a different type so the measurement may be different; not sure because I haven’t tried. I don’t sift the AP flour, never found a need to. Try the recipe as written – we love it!
These cupcakes look to die for! I am planning to make these for my cousin for her birthday, but her birthday in the middle of the week and I don’t have time to make cupcakes then. Will the cupcakes be good 4 days later or can I just make the batter and refrigerate it to make them later? Thanks so much for the recipe Averie!
You cannot refrigerate cake/cupcake batter and in fact, the minute you mix it up, you need to get it into the oven to get the most of the chemical reaction with the ingredients, baking powder, etc. so they rise properly. I also wouldnt really want special bday cupcakes to be 4 days old. Two days would be my other limit. If you want to make something for her, either you pretty much have to adjust your schedule OR pick another dessert but neither 4-day old cupcakes or refrigerating batter will work. Sorry!